Welcome to KidsArts!

KidsArts! Jamaica Plain Multicultural After School Program is an EEC licensed program offering art-based curriculum for after school care to children grades K2 – 5th.

We offer a range of arts related classes each day, plus snack, opportunities for outdoor play, homework time, and a variety of indoor games and activities. Our teachers are college graduates with teaching experience and training in fine art and arts education for children.

A parent-run non-profit organization, KidsArts! adheres to the principle that healthy families may come in all forms; we celebrate the diversity of our community. Hablamos Español.

KidsArts! is a safe, fun environment for children to explore their interests and talents. For more information, please email the program at info@jpkidsarts.org or call us at 617-524-0818.

 

A Typical Day

• Students are met at the bus stop by KidsArts! Staff.
• Upon arrival snack is served.
• After snack kids have free time until classes start at 4:20pm. Free time offers children the opportunity to choose from a variety of less structured activities such as active games, reading, drawing and arts & crafts.
• During class time, children receive fun, but structured instruction. Classes run in 6-8 week sessions (depending on the school calendar) and students choose a different class for each day they are enrolled; based on age and interests.
• After class children clean up and enjoy more supervised free time until they are picked up between 5:20 and 6:00.

 

Performance/Exhibition

At the end of each session we invite families and friends to arrive early and see what we’ve been up to.  Our visual arts classes get a chance to exhibit the work they have made over the eight week session and performance classes get to be in the limelight with their dances, plays or performance pieces.

Sample Classes

Moving Books
When we draw on the page our illustrations usually stay put.  From simple cards to longer stories, pop-ups and flipbooks help ideas come alive!  In this class we will look at favorite pop up and flip books and attempt our own.  Creating these "moving books" requires imagination as well as focused work on paper "engineering."  Simple techniques are easy to master, and infinite variations will keep our engineers busy as they make their own stories move.

Special Effects
No computers, no digital effects, everything by hand. Find out how theater techies made magic in 'the old days' - and, sometimes, still do! Participants learn to work together as they learn stagecraft secrets to amaze an audience. Our final live performance will hopefully amaze you! (Note: most people in this class won’t be seen during performance.)

KidsArts! Yearbook
In this Class we will put together a handmade Yearbook that chronicles the news and activities of Kids Arts.  We will observe KidsArts classes, teachers and of course kids to make a book to remember our experiences and memories.  We will use our drawing, photography and design skills to lay out our for kids by kids yearbook.

KidsArts! Mission

RESPECT + CREATE + COOPERATE

We provide:

• A place for children to explore their abilities and creativity
• A place to bring the richness of the world’s cultures to children through the arts and related activities
• A supportive, cooperative environment – a fun, safe, respectful community for children to play and learn

 

Program Details

Cost: 
Days/week...Monthly fee
2 days/week...$177/month
3 days ... $253
4 days ... $329
5 days ... $375
…a minimum of two days a week is required to register

Eligible Grades:     
K2-5th

Program Hours:
2:30-5:20pm drop off
5:20-6:00pm pick up

Vacation Days:
KidsArts provides full day (8am to 6pm) care during December, February and April school vacations as well as during Boston Public Schools Professional Days, Evacuation Day and Good Friday. These full day vacation period programs, however, are only offered if there is sufficent enrollment.

Vacation days include field trips to museums, theaters and libraries around town as well as structured class time, free time activities and snack.

Vacation days are open to families not normally enrolled in the KA after school program but may not be offered if there are not a sufficient number of children enrolled.

Summer Program
KidsArts also provides an all-day summer program. For more information, please email the program at info@jpkidsarts.org or call us at 617-524-0818.